Dragon

(1) Is the dragon guarding treasure, or a cave which might contain treasure? If so, the cave probablv represents your unconscious, the treasure represents your self, and the dragon that stands between you

and vour true self represents the fearsomeness of the unconscious for one who is still afraid of what may be lurking there, (For self)

(2) For Jung, the first stage of the individuation process is the conscious ego’s heroic struggle to lift itself out of the original all-encompassing unconsciousness and to establish its control of unconscious forces. This finds symbolic representation in the legendary dragon-slayer, St George (St George = the ego; the dragon = the unconscious).

(3) The dragon may represent the devouring aspect of (your relationship with) vour mother. ‘Slaving the dragon’ may therefore mean putting an end to whatever in your attachment to your mother is detrimental to the process of finding your own psychic individuality. Once the individual has achieved liberation from the ‘dragon’, the feminine side of the man’s psyche and the masculine side of the woman’s psyche will no longer appear in threatening form, but as an indispensable companion and guide in the further stages of self- discovery.

(In some male initiation rites in which boys are given adult status, the boys withdraw from the communin’ and live in huts shaped like a dragon or crocodile. This may be seen as a symbol of a young person’s victorious struggle with the devouring mother or all-encompassing unconsciousness: descending into the unconscious realm, acknow’- ledging its powers, and transforming any negative functioning of those pow ers into positive ones.)

(4) A dragon may represent the generative pow er of (Mother) Nature; the unconscious, felt as a wromb pregnant with new possibilities of life.

(5) A winged dragon may symbolize some kind of transcendence, some passing from a ‘lower to a ‘higher’ level of personal maturin’. The fact that it is a dragon that does the flying suggests that the energy for further personal development must be looked for in your unconscious, perhaps in something you have been hitherto afraid even to look at. A winged creature may symbolize spirituality. But a winged dragon is a symbolic reminder that spiritual heights mav not be attained bv abandoning our ‘low’er’ natum, but by letting it serve us as a vehicle. For example, sexuality can be bogged down in fantasizing lust and unedifying topdog / underdog games; it can also be something that releases and activates the power of love within us, a form of self- expression in which sensuous pleasure fuses with the joy of worship; indeed, it can be an experience of the mystical oneness of all things.

(6) A dragon may be a symbol of your sexuality, particularly if it - your sexuality - frightens you. Is your fear irrational; or docs sexuality threaten to rule your life? In either case, don’t kill the ‘dragon’; if necessary, tame it.

(In China ‘chi’ is good, life-giving energy and the channels it runs along are called ‘dragon-lines’, which are said to follow the flow of underground water and underground magnetic fields.)

Universal Landscape: Greed, avarice, and overprotection. Also charisma and good luck.

Dreaming Lens: What was the dragon doing in your dream? Is it a dragon from the Eastern tradition or Western lore? Were you or someone else in battle with the dragon? Was a battle likely to occur or about to start? Were you fearful or courageous? What size and color was the dragon? What were you battling over? Was the fight winnable? How did it turn out?

Personal Focus: According to Western mythology, dragons are the guardians of treasure and virgins. These things are of no use to a dragon, a creature that does not need money to get what it wants; and a dragon cannot safely consummate a relationship with a woman. Despite this, it will face all comers with a mighty ferocity, challenging the courage of the most able warriors. In this way, we can say that dragons are a symbolic representation of a fight for something that is of no use to you.

The dragon in your dream may represent the battles you fight in life that either you cannot win or do not need to be fought at all. By the same token, you may have to fight an inner battle and face the part of you that is in the way of you getting what you want in life. Is it possible that your inner dragon may be keeping you from receiving the love you deserve and the abundance you desire? There is also an implied theme of confrontation in battle when a dragon appears in your dreams. What are the battles in your current life? Are you fighting for something that you do not need or cannot use?

This cross-cultural symbol may have other meanings depending on the Personal Lens you look through. In contrast to the symbolic meaning of the Western dragon, consider that the Chinese dragon carries the connotation of luck and charisma. This interpretation will apply if you have any connection to Eastern philosophy or culture, or if the Dreaming Lens contains this type of dragon. Additionally, through the power of the collective unconscious, no matter what your background is, if this interpretation resonates for you, it could be meaningful.

Fierce and fire-breathing, the dragon is a potent animal of dream-lore that is neither good nor evil, male nor female, light nor dark, but a symbol of the primal energy that upholds the world. The dragon embodies the union of opposites and the four elemental energies: of fire in its breath, air as it uses its wings, water because of its serpent scales, and earth as it dwells in caverns. In Chinese belief, the dragon is one of the creatures of the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Dragon being said to bestow energy, enthusiasm and charisma.

By contrast, Christianity brands the dragon as the embodiment of Satan, an evil creature who must be slain by the saintly hero; Jungian theory, meanwhile, suggests that the dragon may be a form taken by the terrible mother archetype who must be rendered powerless before freedom can be attained (we echo this personification in waking life when we call a fierce woman ‘a dragon’). So if you share the Chinese view of the dragon, your unconscious may have been trying to instill optimism by summoning it into your dream.

If you are influenced by the Western view of dragons, your mind may have been trying to alert you to a hostile person or presence in your life.

Dragons were also said to be guardians of treasure, so your unconscious could have highlighted a desire to undergo a dynamic process of inner renewal. The fire-breathing dragon in your dream may be a symbol of great inner strength and vision that the dreamer can draw upon to overcome doubt. It also may be urging you to come to terms with and confront your own passions and chaotic beliefs; the only way to do this may be through your dreams.